college

Monday 9 Oct 11:30am It’s a slow start to the day; I get out of bed way later than I intended to. I’ve just finished staffing BarMUN, the collegiate Model UN conference Boston University hosts every year. Although it was a fun weekend full of meeting new people and creating chaos (my personal idea of…

It’s been nearly fourteen years since I was last in both Kuala Lumpur and Penang, and I clearly remember writing in my journal that I was headed for Malaysia, Australia. Having relatives in both countries made my six year old self steadfastly believe that Malaysia just happened to be a part of Australia. Older now,…

Our trip to Bali was planned almost begrudgingly— a sort of millennial resentment of caving into the lure of incredible stories and vlogs of a tropical paradise, of once again stepping into the fold of the mainstream. At times I find myself pulling a Britta Perry, deriving a sad sort of joy from saying things…

Before I begin, I’d like to address the difference in photo quality in these next few posts. In an unfortunate turn of events, I lost six thousand photos (everything I took while abroad) at the greedy hands of a software malfunction. The photos included in my Southeast Asian posts from here on out are taken…

The time has passed so quickly yet not at all. That’s how semesters go, as birds soaring past the sun, as feathers dragging in the wind. You have flinched during thunderstorms, studied for essays, sweated gallons from your upper lip alone. Intimidated, you still haven’t tried to use any clause-final discourse particles— you’d feel silly,…

The city is bound by telephone wires and sits, undusted, in Thailand’s central plains. There is something frantic in the air, a tension caught in the knots that loiter above the hubbub below. If I was missing grime while in Singapore, this was certainly the place to go. It’s not any dirtier than other cities,…

After hearing and reading several reports that Singapore becomes a ghost town during Chinese New Year, I decided to take a weekend trip to Melaka (Malacca) rather than stay behind and likely starve. Eight hours (!!!) and several – ahem – experiences later, we arrived in the historic town. The difference between Singapore and surrounding countries…

They say it’s going to be especially cold these coming months. You’re squeezed into an aisle seat, the buffer between the walkway and an overly cozy couple. The time that follows is full of the woman climbing over her boyfriend and shaking you awake every time she needs to use the restroom. You count fourteen. How…